I have a very noticeable finger nail size paint chip on my '90. My amateurish experience with using the official Miata touchup paint has not been great. It usually looks deeper in red after applying a dab of touchup. Maybe I'm screwing up using it.
What have others experienced, because I'm on the fence about just handing this simple job over to a professional?
Also, can I get a confirmation about the '90 Miatas having NO CLEAR COAT and using ENAMEL paint.
Lastly, how does Mazda get the Miata surface so shiny with no clear coat?
Dunno. When my front mask gets bad enough (again) I'll just get it painted (again). Clearcoating the mask makes it MUCH more resistant to chipping, and the chips tend to be smaller. IMHO, touchup paint is uglier than chips.
No clearcoat on any solid colors through 1997 models. Metallics are clearcoated though (doesn't apply to a '90, obviously). However, cars with collision repairs may have been clearcoated by the body shop.
A deep shine results from oils in the finish; clearcoat merely protects the color layer. A clearcoated finish will not be as shiny as a properly-treated uncoated finish, because the "clear" layer isn't perfectly clear, and absorbs some of the light.
On my red Miata (not clearcoated), I use Meguiar's swirl remover for a deep, deep shine, then protect it with their #26 liquid wax. The key is to remove all oxidized paint and replace the oils with a polish (swirl remover is a polish with a light abrasive). The wax is just a weather and UV sealant, and actually dulls the shine a bit, but not as much as a clearcoat.
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